Wabi Sabi is an Atlanta-based ensemble known for high-energy live shows. Their fourth album The Love Insane was produced by band vocalist and leader Damian Cartier who says the band had to take a different approach to get the album to completion amid the onset of the pandemic.
“This is the first of our albums that I have produced myself,” Cartier said. “I was working on a couple of singles when COVID hit, and then I just started programming some new and old songs that I had never properly recorded. Then, one by one, I replaced all the parts with real Wabi Sabi musicians. We have never done an album this way, but COVID mixed with having a spare bedroom home studio seemed like the perfect time to try.”
He said that “the horns, strings, and most of the lead vocals were cut at Brighter Shade Studios and engineered by John Driskell Hopkins (Zac Brown Band), who had produced two of our earlier albums.” Wes Funderburk wrote “all the brilliant horn and string arrangements.”
Wabi Sabi loves “letting each song become its own personality,” Cartier added. “I think songs should each be their own thing and not have to fit with a label or genre. … The songs come out as they first appeared out of the ether, and this band breathes such beautiful life into them. We have been making music together for 24 years, and I hope we get to keep doing just that for as long as possible.”
Far from being a challenge too far, Wabi Sabi learned new ways to piece together an LP. They used various pieces recorded in various locations rather than having each other present to vibe off of, and that only served to give each member new perspective. Cartier found the process of working on The Love Insane in his home studio interesting and enjoyed putting the elements together.
The result is something of the same quality and order as their previous releases including Plays Well With Others and Attention! Damian Disorder. Even while creating in this piecemeal fashion, Wabi Sabi’s psychedelic jazz jam band persona and Cartier’s ability to genre-hop proved indomitable – in part because Damian Cartier took such an active hand in production. However, the collaborative element was always present as well, according to Cartier.
With 16 contributing musicians in different combinations, it is no wonder The Love Insane has a sense of being a combination of different journeys, with each song introducing a change of perspective and atmosphere. From the lyrical jazz-rock opener “The Truth” to the funky grooves of “I Am OK,” the zany finesse of “New Life” or the smoochy, slightly dark flavor of the stand-out track “Not Yet Sister” with its two-tone overtones, this album offers a different direction in every track.
There is a touch of ska-come-reggae in “Sick Tuna,” a bit of tongue-in-cheek chirpiness in “Please Rescue Me,” a twist of brass and pop in “Spacetime” and a soupcon of the completely insane in “The Weirdo Blues.” The ingredients are diverse, but the final result is a sumptuous feast of different flavors and tastes.
Throughout Wabi Sabi’s The Love Insane, there are reminiscences of past popular rhythms and styles but permeating throughout is the musicality of this group and how individual ingredients serve to complete the musical feat, leaving the listener replete and yet somehow ready for more.
And why the name? Well, in 1999, Damian Cartier (and His My Newt Orchestra) consisted of a piano, a trombone, and drums. The band grew to 11 musicians, including horns, bass, guitars, percussion, and singers. The only problem was nobody said the band name correctly. It was given as Damon Cartier and the New Orchestra or Damien Cartier and His Minute Orchestra. The only place that ever spelled the name correctly was a bodacious biker bar in Panama City. It was then that Damian saw an episode of King of the Hill where Bobby discovered the concept of “Wabi Sabi,” which was a type of imperfect beauty.
It was perfectly imperfect for a band that played the same song differently every performance and sometimes followed the song where it wanted to go on that particular night. So, Wabi Sabi came to be – and it was great.
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